First Dye golf course in Portugal opens

Portugal’s West Cliffs Golf Links celebrated its grand opening to widespread approval earlier this month. Located less than an hour north of Lisbon, West Cliffs has been designed by Cynthia Dye, ASGCA, from the world-renowned golf architecture company Dye Designs Group.

The first Dye golf course in Portugal – and only the fourth in Europe – is a par-72 clifftop links course created over 200 hectares of natural landscape, rolling sand dunes and coastal vegetation, and offers sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean from each hole.

Dye flew in from her home in Colorado to officially open the layout to a select audience of key European tour operators, media and local dignitaries, and they delivered a unanimous verdict after accepting the exclusive invitation to be one of the first people to play the course.

Construction work on West Cliffs began in February last year, with Dye and her team working in close collaboration with the local government to ensure minimum disruption to the environment, and to create a harmonious and sustainable links in an enviable location.

Fitting seamlessly into its natural surroundings, West Cliffs measures a testing 7,003 yards in length but, thanks its modern design and a choice of several sets of tees, it guarantees accessibility to golfers of all abilities.

“This has been an incredible project to be involved in, right from the moment when I first visited the site and saw what was possible 14 years ago,” said Dye. “With its amazing location and terrain, West Cliffs is the most fantastic natural golf course site imaginable. The course was really already there for us, and it was our job to shape the holes to create an incredible dramatic experience for everyone that plays it. With a number of different ways to play each hole and the wide choice of tees, we believe that we have designed a course that golfers will want to play time and time again, and it’s a real pleasure for us to receive such great initial feedback.”

Complementing the West Cliffs course is the golf academy that provides the ideal atmosphere for players to warm-up, learn and improve, while a stylish and eco-friendly clubhouse offers guests exclusive panoramic views of the course and the Atlantic Ocean beyond from three sides of the glass-fronted building.

West Cliffs is being managed by Praia D’El Rey – one of Europe’s leading resorts.

“West Cliffs is a truly wonderful golfing experience that can be enjoyed by players of all levels,” said Francisco Cadete, director of golf at West Cliffs Golf Links. “We’ve already received a lot of interest and bookings from all over Europe, and the combination of playing the new links with the championship course on offer at Praia D’El Rey makes the resort a very attractive proposition for players seeking a five-star golfing break.”

Photo: West Cliffs Golf Links